Non-enzymatic glucose sensing using hydrothermally grown ZnO nanorods: sensitivity augmentation by carbon doping and carbon functionalization

Low cost glucose sensors with high sensitivity and long stability have immense importance in biomedical applications and food industries. In this study, non-enzymatic glucose detection in pH comparable to that of human blood serum has been demonstrated using ZnO nanorods arrays grown on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates. The sensitivity and stability towards glucose oxidation of ZnO nanorods has been augmented by C doping and C functionalization. The optimized sensing electrode (C-ZnO3) showed sensitivity of 184.13 μAmM⁻¹cm⁻² and 17.51 μAmM⁻¹cm⁻², in the linear detection range 0 to 60 μM and 0.06 to 13.56 mM respectively. (paper)